Breast cancer bands banned from school

BALTIC, S.D. (KDLT/NBC) - Breast cancer awareness bracelets have been banned at a South Dakota high school.

The bracelets read "I Love Boobies."

While some school districts are allowing students to wear them inside out, Baltic High School is taking a zero-tolerance approach.

"If you're supporting a cause, then what does it matter the way that you do it?" said student Elysa Berndt, who supports the bracelets.

"When you use a slogan like that, is that something that should be in schools?" counters Baltic High School Principal Jim Aisenbrey.

Even the student's will admit, the message has more than just one meaning.

"I pretty much had it just to get a kick out of it just because it says, 'I love boobies' mostly, not because of the awareness," said Chris Mesa, a student who wore the bracelets to school.

"There's people who wear it for the awareness and people who wear it just because it says 'boobies,'" said BHS student Chelsey Foster.

"Most of us like to have it as a joke. Like this is awesome. It has 'boobies' on it," said Travis Evans, who thinks the bracelets should stay.

Aisenbrey said the ban is sparking national attention, and it's putting him in a bind.

"If you say, 'No, we're not going to allow them,' it's going to appear insensitive to the cause, which is not the case," said Aisenbrey. "But at the same time, you also have people in the community that would be upset if that was allowed."

For those who support the cause, they will now need to find another way to show their support. And in Baltic, bracelets won't be the beginning.

The bracelets sell for $4 with part of the proceeds going to Keep a Breast foundation to support cancer research.